Study: The fast trains in Brno cannot do without a new station

Brno – Without the new train station in Brno, the construction of high-speed rail lines cannot proceed, as stated in a feasibility study published by the Czech Railway Administration (SŽ) on its website. According to Brno councilor Filip Chvátal, if preparations proceed smoothly, the reconstruction of the railway junction and the construction of a new station are planned for the years 2028 to 2034. He stated this to the Czech Press Agency. In the same year, 2034, trains from Prague to Brno are also expected to start operating according to SŽ.

The first line that is to be constructed for high-speed trains in southern Moravia will run from Brno through Modřice to Šakvice to alleviate the most congested parts of the Břeclav line. After that, the high-speed trains will merge onto the current corridor line. While the maximum speed on this line is 160 kilometers per hour, high-speed trains are expected to operate at speeds of up to double that. SŽ anticipates that by 2029, it should already be in operation, initially allowing conventional long-distance trains, followed by high-speed trains later. The connection between Brno and Prague will be built later, with the current completion estimate being in 2034. This would mean that the new construction of this line, which would begin in 2025, would take as long as the modernization of the 161 kilometers of the D1 highway. By 2030, a new line from Brno to Přerov is also expected to be completed, although it will operate at a maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour.

Railway planners in Brno have also designed a generous Vienna station with five tracks for high-speed trains and two tracks for the current line to Střelice. It will be located west of Vienna Street between the D1 highway and Bohunická Street, with a tram terminus, diverted roads, and a large multi-storey parking garage. The platforms are to be 410 meters long. Construction is expected to coincide with the expansion of the D1 highway around Brno, as the line must weave under the branches of the interchange of the highway and Vienna Street.

The Vienna station will also allow trains from Prague to Vienna or Bratislava to operate without detouring into the main station. However, this concept does not meet with the understanding of Brno's leadership. "For Brno, this is unacceptable, and moreover, it is entirely new information for us. Besides the connection to public transport, it is also about the connection to regional trains. There may be a discussion regarding the Berlin–Vienna or Berlin–Budapest routes," stated Chvátal.

The construction of a large station at Vienna Street is not even in the land use plan, which has long only accounted for a commuter railway stop. "Any significant increase in traffic significance would certainly trigger the need to examine all transport as well as urban and ecological connections, which has yet to be done. The high-speed rail study only reviewed the rail solutions, and when the new land use plan was being created, not all the materials were ready. However, Brno, together with the South Moravian Region, agreed to prepare a territorial study that will examine the form and function of the Vienna terminal. Brno has long demanded that high-speed trains primarily stop at the new main train station in Brno," said Chvátal.

For the state and city, this will mean enormous investments over the next 15 years. The feasibility study completed five years ago estimated that the redevelopment of the Brno junction would cost around 50 billion crowns, and the urban transport infrastructure ensuring connections for public transport and individual transport to the new station would cost 2.3 billion crowns. No one has yet calculated the costs of the infrastructure associated with the Vienna station.

SŽ also presented the idea of building a connecting line from Vienna Street along the D1 highway to the new Přerov line, which would allow trains from Prague to Ostrava to avoid the main station. "For Brno, this is unacceptable both in terms of accessibility through the area and in terms of not stopping at the main station," stated Chvátal.